Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-09

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

All university undergraduate courses should include a period of time spent studying abroad or doing a work placement.

Do you think the advantages of this would outweigh the disadvantages?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 6.0)

Some people argue that a mandatory foriegn placements should be included in the undergraduate studies. This idea has some benefits of its own like learning new aspects of the field of studies and creating harmony among students from different countries. But there can be some drawbacks of this initiative such as distraction from studies and economic burden on students. In my opinion, disadvantages outweigh the advantages.

Firstly, foreign tours for students, at undergraduate level cancreate opportunity to learn new things about their prespective fields. In every country, there are practices that are suited to the need of that country. For instance, economically weak countries have better ideas due to the absence of resources, and well developed countries have better instruments.The oppurtunity to see these first han would be very good for students' learning. Secondly, students from different parts of the world get the oppurtunity to understand each other. Every country has its own customs and culture, the more people from different parts of the world spend time together, the more they learn about the beauty of those cultures. Consequently, they are able to understand different people.

On the other hand, making these foriegn tours compulsory might cause economic burden on students. Since, students have limited resources and they are not usually earning themselve, they might face difficulty to arrange these tours. Incase, universities can try to provide funding but that would also be adjusted in pupil's fees. Moreover, going abroad can distract students from their education. Students have limited knowledge about the world and when they will see the attractive side of the other side of the world, they might get distracted. For instance, students from less developed countres might see the luxurious life of Europe and they would try to replicate it, instead of focusing on their studies.

In conclusion, foriegn placements for work or studies have some really great merits such as learning new things and cultural harmony but the risks that are assosiated with these exhanges are very drastic such as economic difficulties and distractions from education.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear from the introduction—“disadvantages outweigh the advantages”—and remains consistent in the conclusion. You address both sides of the question, giving relevant benefits (learning field-specific practices and cultural understanding) and drawbacks (cost and distraction). The examples about differences between countries and students encountering European lifestyles help illustrate your points. This meets the task well, while some ideas are less fully developed: for example, the claim that students may be distracted by a more luxurious lifestyle is asserted rather than explained in detail, and the benefits of work placements are not distinguished from studying abroad. To strengthen the response, explain the consequences of each point more precisely and connect them directly to whether the disadvantages outweigh the advantages.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a coherent overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for advantages and disadvantages, and a conclusion. Sequencing is generally easy to follow, and signposts such as “Firstly,” “Secondly,” and “On the other hand” make the direction of the argument clear. Some linking is mechanical, however, and a few connections between claims need clearer explanation. For instance, the move from limited resources in less-developed countries to “better ideas” is not fully established, while “Moreover” introduces a second drawback without showing how it relates to the first. The conclusion repeats the main points but does not explicitly weigh them against each other. Use a wider range of natural transitions and make the relationship between each example and its main claim more explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “economic burden,” “customs and culture,” “compulsory,” and “distracted,” which allows you to discuss the main issues. However, the range and control are limited by repeated general wording such as “new things,” “good,” and “different,” as well as several inaccurate or unnatural choices: “foreign tours” is not a precise equivalent for placements, and “harmony” does not quite express the idea of students understanding one another. Spelling errors such as “foriegn,” “oppurtunity,” and “assosiated” are also noticeable and reduce accuracy. Aim for more precise academic collocations and check spelling carefully; this would make your meaning clearer and your argument more convincing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including clauses beginning with “Since” and “when,” and most of the argument remains understandable. Some grammatical errors occur in sentence construction and punctuation. For example, “Since, students have limited resources” has an unnecessary comma after the subordinating conjunction, and “when they will see” uses an unsuitable future form in this conditional context. The sentence beginning “Incase, universities can try to provide funding” also needs clearer clause structure and punctuation. There are occasional problems with articles and agreement, as in “a mandatory … placements” and “they are not usually earning themselve.” Practise accurate conditional forms and review sentence boundaries, articles, and subject–verb agreement while retaining your attempts at complex structures.

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